TRANSITION YEAR ITALIAN
The teaching guidelines plan for TRANSITION YEAR is to try to do as much grammar and as much daily life vocabulary (school, home friends, restaurants etc.) as possible. The aim is to equip students with the means of expressing themselves in everyday situations. This will have to be achieved within the limits imposed by extracurricular activities – such as the trip to Italy and work experience – and sometimes the large number of students taking the class. The teaching method will involve use of the blackboard and a textbook, handouts, laptop, conversation and a small amount of homework.
FIFTH YEAR ITALIAN
The course is based on the study of the grammar and vocabulary needed to discuss daily life situations. Written essays on everyday topics will also be required.
From the beginning of the school year until October mid-term break, we will be concentrating on the issues of school, city, house, and family. The emphasis will be on grammar, especially the present, future and past tenses, the gerund, the definite and indefinite articles, prepositions pronouns and adjectives.
From the autumn mid-term to Christmas we will be dealing with topics like shops and shopping, friends and pastimes, and possibly holidays and travel.
From Christmas to Easter the emphasis will be on Leaving Certificate CONVERSATION, both orally and in writing. During this period we will also cover the remanding of the grammar. From Easter to summer we will focus on the Leaving Certificate “GUIDED COMPOSITIONS” using in story form, the topics covered during the school year. Continuous assessment will take the form of regular homework and occasional tests.
SIXTH YEAR ITALIAN 
The plan for the first part of the school year, i.e., for the period from the beginning to October mid-term break, is to cover the oral part of the Leaving Certificate examination. This will consist of five Picture Reading (five stories), five Role-plays, and detailed conversation about the student’s daily life. All of this is done orally and in writing, the idea being to build up a substantial vocabulary to assist with the other parts of the exam.
For the second period leading up to Christmas the plan is to complete all the formal sample letters.
For the period between Christmas and the Mocks the students will cover part of the topics, which are likely to come up in the journalism article part of the exam, as well as the guidelines for the Guided Compositions and prescribed novel. (The prescribed novel is given to the student at the beginning of the year, but from this moment on it will be studied and discussed in depth and in the Leaving Certificate exam can be discussed in English.)
It should be pointed out that, because the Mocks happen so early, and bearing in mind that Italian is condensed into two years, students tend not to be fully ready for the Mocks. However, nor should it be forgotten that there are still three months to go to the end of the school year, and this provides ample time for fully “polishing” all the material.
As in previous years, although students are individually supplied at the beginning of the school year with copies of previous Leaving Certificate “aural” papers including my transcripts of the actual cassettes, the aural part of the exam will be covered fully, after the Mocks.
Student’s assessment takes the form of daily homework, which is thoroughly corrected, commented upon, and returned immediately. In March or April the Oral Leaving Examination takes place and, at the end of June, two years of hard and hopefully enjoyable work, comes to fruition.
Links: Italian on BBC / Locuta / Exercises / Italica / Smartphrase / About Italian
